Gemini 3.5 Pro Misses Its Third Deadline, Google Tests Stopgap Flash Models
Google has missed the July 17 target it set for Gemini 3.5 Pro after two earlier delays, with Bloomberg reporting the rebuilt model still falls short of internal coding goals. Google is now testing an upgraded Flash model alongside Pro, and has registered names for Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash Light as possible stopgaps.
Gemini 3.5 Pro has slipped past the July 17 date Google itself set after two prior delays, marking a third missed deadline since the model was originally promised for June following its May I/O announcement.
- Original target: June 2026, tied to Google's May I/O announcement
- Google retrained on updated coding data in late June; Bloomberg reports the results were disappointing
- Google says it is currently testing 3.5 Pro alongside an upgraded Flash model and other models with partners
- Names registered for Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash Light point to possible stopgap releases
- Prediction markets now favor an August 7 launch over July 17 or July 24
The rebuild reportedly targets mathematical reasoning, SVG generation, and image fidelity to close the gap with OpenAI's GPT-5.6 and Anthropic's Claude Fable 5, both of which shipped in the weeks Gemini 3.5 Pro has been delayed.